Amy holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University. Prior to moving to the Berkshires, she held numerous positions in theatre and television in New York City and Los Angeles. Notable companies include: Ellen Novack Casting, The Vineyard Theatre (Three Tall Women moved to Broadway in 1994), Classic Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, CBS Morning News, Evening News with Dan Rather, and 60 Minutes. Most of her television work was on The Late Show with David Letterman, where she was an Assistant Director and Stage Manager for several years. Los Angeles credits include Friends, The X-Files, The Drew Carey Show, and others. She is most proud of her credit as Mother to Katherine and Spencer, who are now both away at school courageously pursuing their dreams. Amy lives in Great Barrington with her husband Bruce and their naughty cat Tasha.
Archives: Team Members
Team Members
Susan Ingersoll
Susan Ingersoll has served as the Finance Director at Berkshire Pulse since 2015. Susan relocated to the Berkshires from California in 1990 and has dedicated her career to working with nonprofit organizations. Over the years, she has been an active board member for the Sheffield Land Trust and Greenagers, all while raising two children in the community. Outside of her professional role, Susan enjoys staying active on the pickleball court and pursuing her passions, which include spending time by the ocean, reading, and thrifting.
Holly Jones
Holly Jones (she/her) is delighted to be joining the faculty at Pulse! Jones is a NYC and Berkshire based dancer, educator, and arts advocate. She is the Producing Director at Jacob’s Pillow, performs with The Bang Group, and serves on the boards of The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation, New England Presenters, The Croft Residency, and MMC’s Dance Advisory Board. Originally from Colorado, Holly holds a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College and a MS in Nonprofit Leadership from Penn.
Sara Kiesel
Sara Kiesel is a seasoned educator specializing in arts for the young child. She has worked as a dance/movement specialist and Arts administrator, workshop leader, and teacher trainer. Her background in dance, movement therapy, creative arts and performance has given her a breadth of experience while working with hundreds of children, families and teaching professionals. Sara has recently been studying the effects of trauma on children and youth, with the aim of teaching simple techniques for self-care.
Sara is a gifted teacher with an empathetic and perceptive ability to meet the child where he/she is. Sara brings her knowledge of the child’s developmental, social and emotional needs to the table as she guides parents and teachers to better understand the child in their care. An experienced speaker and workshop leader, Sara engages audiences with her enthusiasm, joy for the role of the arts in education, and respect for the journey of the child whose perceptions and abilities are ready to be expressed. Understanding that all children have individual learning styles enables Sara to work effectively with all populations.
Marta Kirsis
Marta Kirsis has spent her career at the intersection of media, technology, and the consumer. She is known for translating audience insights into global strategies that drive engagement, revenue growth, and scalable best practices that position organizations for sustainable, profitable growth. Most recently, she served as VP of Streaming Strategy for Paramount Global, where she led initiatives that established Paramount+ as the fastest-growing SVOD service since its launch and PlutoTV as the most widely distributed FAST service.
Previously, Marta was VP of Analytics for Viacom Digital Studios, where her work helped propel the Studio to #1 on Tubular’s Media & Entertainment charts within two years of launch. She was also part of the team behind the successful positioning and launch of Yellowstone. Marta began her career at MTV Networks in Research, focused on measurement and analytics of the evolving cable tv landscape.
She holds a B.A. from Colgate University and is a graduate of the Wharton School. A longtime Berkshires resident, Marta first connected with Berkshire Pulse when she began taking dance classes to prepare for a cultural performance in Latvia. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, pickleball, and gardening.
Leighann Kowalsky
Leighann Kowalsky (she/her) is a Hudson-Valley based dance artist, educator & choreographer, travelling globally. An active performer with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company under the direction of Katherine Duke, and AuraCuriatlas Physical Theater Company under the direction of Joan Gavaler, Kowalsky also performs as a dancer & acrobat for a number of other independent and seasonal companies. With a BA in Communications and Psychology and an MFA in Choreography, Kowalsky serves as Research Advisor and Adjunct Professor for Reinhardt University’s MFA in Choreography program. Kowalsky additionally serves as Global Coordinator at the Institute for the Study of Somatic Communication, and on the Development Committee at the National Dance Educators Organization. Having just returned from a 3-month residency in Sydney, Australia with Nita Little, Critical Path, and the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, she looks forward to returning to Berkshire Pulse this spring and summer.
Ryoko Kudo
Ryoko Kudo MFA, has worked with the Limón Dance Company since 2001 and has had the privilege to dance works by world-renowned choreographers such as Graham, Taylor, Lubovich, Kylian, Linke, Koner, McKayle, multiple works by Limón and Humphrey. Kudo is also an aerialist with Airealistic and has performed at the Beijing Olympics, Hangzhou, China, Bregenz Opera, and in the show Breaking Surface in NYC. She teaches and restages Limón works and has taught at various institutions such as Marymount Manhattan College, Canadian Children’s Dance Theater (Canada), Congresso Brasileiro de Dance Moderna (Brazil), Arte Centro (Guatemala), Bratislava Academy of Dance (Slovakia), ArtEz (Holland), Puglia Talenti (Italy), Casa de la Cultura (Mexico), and schools in the U.S. such as SUNY Purchase, Point Park College, Bryn Mawr, Mont Clair, University of the Arts, Drexel University. Kudo is also a certified Pilates instructor (read more…) since 2008. Kudo received her training from Emerson College, The Boston Conservatory, Ailey School, Graham School, Limón Institute, and Kane School of Core Integration.
Ryoko’s classes explore movement based on the principles of the Limón Technique, which incorporates the effect of gravity and use of breath as an initiation of movement. We explore coordinating breath and weight in terms of falling, recovering, and suspending. The classes also address use of space, time and energy with clear intention and musicality for greater dynamic range of movement and richer coloring of human expression.
(photo credit: Nilaya Sabni)
Angel Lau
Angel Lau is a percussionist based in Newburgh, NY. While his foundation comes from his classical percussion studies at Purchase College, Angel’s interests in Afro-Peruvian and Brazilian music expanded into different folkloric and modern percussion styles from across the globe. Angel is one of the musicians for “Odeon” by Bessie Award Winner Ephrat Asherie and has toured the US including the Spoleto Festival, Vail Dance Festival, and Fall for Dance to name a few. He is currently a faculty accompanist at Bard College and is in a work-in-progress work by Bessie Award Winner Souleymane Badolo from Burkina Faso. Angel has performed and recorded with artists such as Kala and the Lost Tribe, Wallace Roney Jr., DreHall, Anaïs Maviel, Neil ‘Nail’ Alexander, Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Kelly Quigley.
Hannah Littman
Hannah Littman (they/them) is a movement artist originally from Los Angeles currently working in Western Massachusetts and New York City. Their research draws on their longtime fascination with American media institutions to investigate what it means to be looked at by exploring ordinary movement, surreal landscapes, and audience participation, which, in turn, has sent them questioning modes of dance archive. They have performed choreography by Angie Hauser, Gabby Carmichael, Merce Cunningham, Bill T. Jones, and Adam Weinert. Hannah’s choreographic work has been featured at Movement Research, Green Space, and BAAD!. Additionally, they have presented their scholarly research on alternative approaches to historical restagings at conferences held by the Dance Studies Association and the American College Dance Association. Beyond their independent work, Hannah is a co-founder and the lead producer of the 46 Minutes Collective—a performance collective focused on developing time-based experimental new work and offering programming to emerging artists—through which they have developed work in-residence at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and presented at IndyFringe Theater Festival, The Tank, and Brick Aux. Hannah earned their BA in Film and English from Vassar College, and they are currently a second-year MFA candidate and Teaching Fellow in Dance at Smith College.
Tom Masters
Dance for Boys Program Director
Musical Theatre Dance Program Director
Tom Masters holds an MS in Special Education from The City College of New York and a BS in elementary education with a concentration in dance and movement for elementary school children. As a performer he has danced with The Park Avenue Dance Company in Rochester, NY, The Alvin Ailey Student Ensemble in New York City, and with various musical theatre productions both nationally and internationally. He has taught dance and creative movement since 1990. Most recently he was on staff at the Center for Kinesthetic Movement in NYC as an educational tutor using dance to teach literacy, and using movement to increase the attention span of students with ADHD. Tom has been with Berkshire Pulse since 2009 teaching dance for boys, Humphrey-Weidman repertory, tap, and Broadway jazz.